Extremism in faith debate must find common ground

Pat Buchanan's column, "Christianity under siege," Dec. 28, contains so much that deserves rebuttal that I would need similar space to answer; given the size limit on letters, I will only address three points.

Anyone seeking understanding of last year's Reason Rally can research what was actually said. Those relying on Buchanan's version should remember he has been encouraging religious antagonism for 20 years, since his "Culture War" speech at the 1992 Republican convention.

Richard Dawkins wants to "mock" specific religious claims, not to ridicule all believers. Even so, I don't feel obligated to do whatever Dawkins suggests. What I want is for believers to tolerate and respect my right to be a non-believer, and I am more than willing to extend the same to them.

Sam Harris did not call on atheists to kill believers; his passage in full describes why governments treat some groups (like al-Qaeda) as those who cannot be reasoned with.

Any atheist calling for violence against believers would not just be foolish - he would violate the ethics of good and evil. And yes, since the first Greek philosophers who explained the world without the supernatural, atheists do value morality.

On the need for a Creator, since the natural universe could not have "come from nothing," that doesn't really answer the question. Who created God?

If a theist believes God just is and always was, why is it "unbelievable" to believe the same of nature? The difference is that nature can be studied, evidence weighed, hypotheses proved. The results of reasoned scientific inquiry are the cell phones we communicate with, the medicines that save lives, the transportation that shrinks the world.

But technology also threatens this marvelous planet with nuclear war and pollution. To avoid these evils, we need to find our common ground, not indulge in calls to hatred by extremists on both sides of the theological divide.

Joe Swain Jr.

Toms River

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Extremism in faith debate must find common ground

Pat Buchanan's column, 'Christianity under siege,' Dec. 28, contains so much that deserves rebuttal that I would need similar space to answer; given the size limit on letters, I will only address

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